DfE appoints Dame Annie Hudson to lead Social Work England review
The review will include a programme of engagement with social workers, employers, educators and people with lived experience of social work
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The Department for Education (DfE) has announced that Dame Annie Hudson will lead its newly-launched independent review of Social Work England, which aims to assess how effectively the regulator is maintaining standards and public confidence.
As the former chair of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel and a former director of children’s services, Hudson will be responsible for examining whether Social Work England is meeting its statutory duties to uphold professional standards, protect the public and promote confidence in social work.
The review will also look at the organisation’s governance, accountability and collaboration with other social care bodies.
Effective from this November, the review will conclude by spring 2026. It will include a programme of engagement with social workers, employers, educators and people with lived experience of social work.
Social Work England was established in 2019 as the specialist regulator for social workers in England. The review is required under the Children and Social Work Act 2017.
The Department for Education continues to fund recruitment and training schemes for social workers, including Step Up to Social Work and Approach Social Work, which together train around 850 new practitioners each year.
Official data show that as of 30 September 2024, there were 34,300 full-time equivalent child and family social workers employed by local authorities in England – the highest number recorded since data collection began in 2017.
According to children and families minister, Josh MacAlister, Hudson’s appointment would help ensure the regulator remains “effective and focused on making life better for those who rely on social work every day”.
Hudson added: “Social workers carry out some of the most complex and demanding work in our society, and the systems that regulate and support them must be strong, fair and forward-looking.”
The review’s findings and the government’s response will be published once the work concludes.
